What is stress and what are common signs?

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Stress involves our ‘fight or flight ‘response; it is the way in which the body and mind responds to something which it perceives as a threat and we release hormones which enable us to react faster. In small doses, it can be of help to us. For instance, if you are giving a work presentation or you are attending an interview, a small amount of stress can fire you up, keep you on your toes and enable you to perform to optimum levels and give of your very best. In situations such as these it would not be to our advantage to be too relaxed. However, problems can start to appear when we experience too much stress over long periods of time and do not have effective and healthy ways to deal with it. It can then start to be a constant in our lives; we can almost come to accept it. Unfortunately, over time chronic stress can lead to anxiety, depression and long- term physical health problems.

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Stress feels different for everyone but common signs include: tension, irritability, problems sleeping, brain fog and loss of concentration, headaches, muscle pain and loss of appetite. Simple things can then become overwhelming and can affect your ability to think, act and behave.  

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If you feel overwhelmed by stress you are certainly not alone. A 2018 survey by the Mental Health Foundation found that three in every four people in the U.K had felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. Since the pandemic, stress levels have further increased.

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How can you reduce stress?

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The good news is that there are many ways to reduce stress and build resilience. You can learn how to evaluate your worries, manage multiple demands, and engage your body’s natural relaxation response.

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Hypnotherapy and Relaxation techniques can provide immediate relief by helping you to learn how to relax quickly and naturally. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help you to identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavioural patterns which contribute to stress. Mindfulness can help you to learn the skills to increase focus and ability to live in the present moment and help you to step back from unhelpful thinking. Underpinning all of this, you will learn about the Autonomic Nervous System and what is actually happening to you when you experience the unpleasant stress symptoms of ‘the fight and flight’ response. You will learn the techniques to enable you to engage your body’s natural inbuilt relaxation response (the Rest and Repair part of your nervous system) which counteracts the’ fight or flight’ of stress.

 

I will help you to learn the tools, skills and techniques most suited to your particular needs which will enable you to reduce and manage your stress for yourself. You therefore learn to be your own stress therapist; with this knowledge at your disposal for whenever you need it.